The present invention relates generally to electronically scored dart games and, more particularly, to an electronically scored dart game having a service door for providing access to the interior of the game housing from the front of the housing.
Electronically scored dart games are generally well known in the art and are commercially available from a variety of sources, including Merit Industries, Inc., the assignee of the present invention. Such dart games generally comprise a cabinet or housing with a decorative front surface which includes a specialized dart board adapted to receive and hold one or more darts having a tip made of flexible plastic with a relatively blunt point. Darts of this type closely resemble conventional metal tipped darts in appearance, flight characteristics and target-striking characteristics, but are much safer in that they are incapable of piercing a person's skin or causing damage to walls or other surroundings adjacent to the dart board.
To enable such plastic tipped darts to be captured by the target dart board, the dart board is comprised of a plurality of generally vertically extending target plates. The target plates, which are usually formed of a plastic material, are arranged in an array or pattern which establishes scoring areas, substantially the same as the scoring areas of a traditional dart board. Each target plate has a front surface, which includes a plurality of generally circular openings sized for receiving and holding the tip of a plastic tipped dart. The target plates are each independently slideably supported within a surrounding support structure, so that when the tip of a dart is received within a target plate, the force of the moving dart results in the target plate moving rearwardly with respect to the support structure. Each target plate has corresponding electrical contacts combined into a switch matrix and mounted on a surface behind the target plates, which generate an electrical signal which indicates a score when the target plate slides rearwardly after receiving a dart. Electronics associated with the game sense each such score signal, adds up the score for each player and provides an indication of each player's score on a visual display, such as a plurality of lights, light-emitting diodes or a cathode ray tube.
While prior art electronically scored dart games of this type are a very effective, safe alternative to traditional dart boards and have become increasingly popular, they have a common service-related problem. The prior art electronically scored dart games of this type are traditionally serviced from the rear of the machine, primarily in order to avoid detrimentally affecting the aesthetic appearance of the front of the machine. Consequently, when servicing the machine, it is usually necessary for a servicing technician to slide or otherwise move the machine away from a wall or other structure and to remove an access panel on the rear of the machine.
It has been found that movement of the machine can sometimes detrimentally affect the delicate contacts, as well as the electronics associated with the machine. In addition, because the target plates must have the ability to slide freely towards the rear of the machine, when servicing the target assembly of the machine, it is not uncommon for many of the target plates to actually fall out of the supporting structure. The individual target plates must then be returned to the supporting structure, a procedure which is relatively time-consuming. In addition, whenever a machine of this type is moved, there exists the possibility that the machine could tip over, resulting in substantial damage to the machine.
Some manufacturers have overcome some of the problems associated with machine servicing by providing a service door on the front of the machine. In such cases, the service door generally utilizes a hinge which extends generally vertically along one side of the machine and a latch on the other side of the machine. While the use of such a front access service door is beneficial, it still suffers from the drawback of permitting the target plates to fall out of the supporting structure during servicing, resulting in additional servicing time and inconvenience to service personnel.
The present invention overcomes the drawbacks associated with the servicing of prior art electronically scored dart games by providing a service door in the front of the housing. The service door is hinged along its bottom edge so that when open it pivots from a generally vertical position to an outwardly extending angled position. In this manner, service personnel are able to gain convenient access to the interior of the machine without having to move the machine. In addition, no target plates inadvertently fall out of the supporting structure because the target plates are held in place by gravity. The present invention also permits the dart game to be completely serviced without the need for moving the game away from the wall, thereby avoiding potential problems and inconvenience associated with the moving of the prior art machines.